Bubba’s easygoing day interrupted by a 10

Bubba Watson, like any PGA Tour golfer, can’t be competitive every week – but he’s almost always entertaining. After closing the defense of his Masters championship with a 77 to finish the week at 7 over, Watson had some typically candid remarks.

For one thing, he reiterated that he wasn’t out to stage a defense of his title – just win – and that made things simpler.

“Oh, it’s really easy, because no matter what, you’re playing the following year. So when you look at it, it was a blast. Like I said, though, my mindset was I’m not defending champion, my mindset is I’m trying to win a golf tournament,” Watson said. “My golf proved that I didn’t win it. So it was fun, it was a blast. Obviously when you come back here, like the other question was, you’re always the defending champion, you’re always a Masters champion, so no matter what, it’s going to be a blast every year I show up here.”

Watson’s Sunday 77 was punctuated by a 10 on the par-3 12th hole in Amen Corner. He wasn’t the only one who suffered the feat, as Kevin Na preceded him with the score.

“So we tied, so we were even after that hole,” Watson quipped. “You know, it’s funny, if you’re not going to win, you’ve got to get in the record books somehow, so I’m a guy that got a double digit score on a par 3.

“When you look back at this week I had nine three putts, three balls in the water on 11, a 10. So when you add all that up, a tie for 50th is a pretty good week.”

Watson had found the water from the bunker at 12. His decision-making then entered into the picture.

“Well, for me, 66 yards to a green that’s not stopping and the grass is cut into you, so I dropped the ball back in the bunker, which we knew was going to plug, so I just was going to play it to the side and try to get up and down.

“At that time I didn’t know what I was going to make, but I made a 15 , 20 footer for 10.”

Watson said he simply never adjusted to the greens, saying they were atypically slow this year at Augusta.

“Like I said all this week, this is the slowest I’ve seen the greens. For me being a feel player, I’m used to them being fast and scary, and they weren’t, and I kept leaving all my putts short,” he said. “You know, I putted great. I played great. When you take away the nine three putts, you take away the three balls in the water on 11, my 10 on 12, I still tied 50th. There’s a lot of guys that went home that wish they tied 50th. So when you add that up, that means I was really close to having a fight on Sunday afternoon.”